5 Tips To Save Big On Cyber Monday

1. The deals are outstanding!2. I get to shop from my couch3. Most all websites offer free delivery.FACT: Consumers expect to spend 45% of their holiday budgets this year via e-commerce channels, according to a survey released by Javelin Strategy & Research. During the entire year, online and mobile commerce are expected to comprise 9% of total retail sales in 2015, up from 6% five years ago.As easy and fun as it can be to shop the world wide Interwebz, Cyber Monday only lasts 24 hours, so having a clear focused plan is necessary. Below are 5 ways to find the best Cyber Monday Sales

1. Let the professionals help! Websites like FatWallet and DealsNews. These sites have a team of professionals scouring the web day and night to find the hottest deals around. When in doubt, start here! Actually, always just start here. There's also GottaDeal that is just like DealsNews, if there's a doorbuster size deal on the web, they have it listed.2. Crowd buying offers knowledge and power: I love love love Amazon. I compare every deal I find both in stores and the interbebz to Amazon offerings, before buying. Amazon not only may have a better deal, the reviews are there to really see what you're buying. If you haven't already, sign up for the free month of Prime to get free shipping. Cancel at the end of the month or pay to keep going.3. Use Coupons. Always. Sites like RetailMeNot and Coupon Cabin should be consulted before ANY purchase is made, Cyber Monday or not. -Buy NOTHING without checking coupon sites first. The staff searches merchant sites, forums, blogs, consumer emails and even the Sunday Paper for coupons, then to stay fresh, updates its listing three times a day. It shows when a coupon expires and when it was last tested, so you know it still works. CouponCabin.com also offers a downloadable toolbar that displays coupons and deals if you visit one of its 2,500 participating merchants online.4. Get cash back whenever possible. One of my favorite online shopping sites is FreeShipping.com--Free Shipping is a one stop for finding coupons, free shipping deals AND getting cash back on purchases. Yes, cash back. All you do is shop through the website, then click through to the deal you want, and order as you normally would. A percentage of your purchase then goes back in your pocket! I just got my money from a Macy and Walmart purchase! Definitely with checking out.5. BE SMART. Cyber Monday is also a big day for Cyber fraud. Shop Smare and be safe. here are a few tips from the professionals.

Patti Otman, vice president of fraud services at Comerica Bank, said shoppers need to be especially careful of any unexpected pop-ups that they spot while shopping online. Fake pop-ups can tell you that your computer is infected. Or maybe a fake pop-up offers what seems like some incredible deal. The best bet is to back out and shut down the computer.

The American Bankers Association notes that shoppers should keep computers and mobile devices up to date when it comes to having the latest security software. Always protect your home wireless network with a password. Make sure any shopping websites use secure technology, too. When you're at the checkout screen, verify that the Web address begins with https, according to tips from the American Bankers Association. You can also check to see if a tiny locked padlock symbol appears on the page.

One trick that fraudsters regularly use is to send an email or a text to offer an "order confirmation." Again, the con artists know that consumers are shopping a lot online for the holidays. So don't click on those order confirmation alerts either.

Only pay with credit card. No wire transfers or bank drafts

Beware of deals that sound too good to be true – Offers found on less-traveled websites and in unsolicited emails sometimes advertise suspiciously low prices. When visiting a website, look for misspellings and grammatical errors, as these are signs the site might be fraudulent. Trust your instincts and be leery of unsolicited emails, as they may contain viruses or malware.

April is an award-winning writer, blogger and proud debut novelist - The Devlyn Disguise. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more about April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com